Organic phospholipids play an important role in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries because of their outstanding physiological properties, such as, for example, emulsifying, softening, and anti-oxidant effects. When hydrolyzed, organic phospholipids yield phosphoric acid, an alcohol, a fatty acid, and a nitrogenous base. Most phospholipids are amphipathic, i.e., have polar "heads" and non-polar "tails." As a result, most phospholipids tend to arrange spontaneously into a bilayer when suspended in an aqueous environment, with the polar heads contacting the water and the non-polar tails contacting each other. Most naturally occurring phospholipids prefer to form vesicular bilayers in water solutions. In such a bilayer vesicle, no non-polar part of the phospholipid has any contact with the water solution.
Because of their non-polar portions, phospholipids typically are water-insoluble and incompatible with many water soluble anionic compounds, such as anionic surfactants. While they can be solubilized in water at low levels by a range of surfactants, this is often not easily accomplished.
Instead, solubilization has been accomplished conventionally using specific solubilizing agents in aqueous alcoholic solutions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,553 to Hager et al. discusses methods of rendering phospholipid mixtures water-soluble or water-dispersible by using certain amine compounds as solubilizing agents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,296 to Kass describes a method of improving the solubility of phospholipid compounds in water, in particular lecithin compounds, by mixing lecithin with specific single solubilizing agents, including amphoteric and anionic surfactants. These methods utilize alcohol for cosolubilization. Alcohol solutions can have the drawback of disrupting any bilayer formation by altering the solution such that the alcohol functions as a secondary solvent.
Lecithins and other phospholipids have been used in the pharmaceutical industry to formulate carriers for water-insoluble drugs. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,303 to Lau et al., water-insoluble material is encapsulated by vesicles composed of phospholipids such as lecithin. Ribosa et al., in "Physico-chemical modifications of liposome structures through interaction with surfactants," Int'l Journal of Cosmetic Science 14:131-149 (1992), also discuss solubilization of phospholipids via the interaction of liposomes with surfactants. Lau and Ribosa, however, investigated only dilute solutions of pure liposomes.
Despite difficulties in solubilization, certain organic phospholipids, such as lecithin, can advantageously give hair and skin a soft, moisturized feel because they have a strong affinity for the hydrophobic surface of the hair and skin. In addition, these phospholipids are toxicologically safe. It would thus be desirable for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications to provide delivery systems that include such organic phospholipids as a carrier for other lipophilic ingredients, without the need for alcohols and other similar solvents.
In addition to solubilizing lipophilic ingredients such as oils, vitamins, and ceramides in aqueous systems, it would be desirable to solubilize other water-insoluble ingredients, specifically unneutralized or partially neutralized polymers, resins, or latexes, in aqueous delivery systems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,368 to Gerstein teaches solubilization of a hair-styling polymer in a composition comprising an anionic surfactant and an amphoteric surfactant. According to Gerstein, it is the amphoteric surfactant which dissolves the water-insoluble styling polymer because the polymer is not soluble in the anionic surfactant alone.
Gerstein presents some problems, however. Many hair care and hair setting products are formulated at acidic pH because of a desire for such products to be compatible with the pH of the scalp and hair surface. Gerstein does not disclose a pH at which its system is formulated, but if the Gerstein system is acidified, the polymer will precipitate out of solution. In addition, the Gerstein system does not carry and there is no suggestion that it could carry any additional lipophilic ingredients in its mixture of anionic surfactant, amphoteric surfactant, and styling polymer. Further, Gerstein does not describe the incorporation of its styling polymer into any products other than the disclosed styling shampoo, nor does Gerstein suggest that such incorporation would be possible.
Thus, there remains a need for an aqueous delivery system that can solubilize water-insoluble materials, in particular, lipophilic materials, unneutralized or partially neutralized polymers, resins, or latexes, where these water-insoluble materials will not precipitate out of solution upon acidification, where the amount of deposition of water-insoluble material can be controlled, and where the system could carry other ingredients in addition to the water-insoluble ingredient. For example, it would be beneficial to have a system which incorporates water-insoluble materials into compositions containing other ingredients, such as dyeing and permanent wave compositions. The present invention provides such a delivery system.